Pet Food Politics : The Chihuahua in the Coal Mine

Marion Nestle, acclaimed author of __Food Politics,__ now tells the gripping story of how, in early 2007, a few telephone calls about sick cats set off the largest recall of consumer products in U.S. history and an international crisis over the safety of imported goods ranging from food to toothpaste, tires, and toys. Nestle follows the trail of tainted pet food ingredients back to their source in China and along the supply chain to their introduction into feed for pigs, chickens, and fish in the United States, Canada, and other countries throughout the world. What begins as a problem "merely" for cats and dogs soon becomes an issue of tremendous concern to everyone. Nestle uncovers unexpected connections among the food supplies for pets, farm animals, and people and identifies glaring gaps in the global oversight of food safety. CONTENTS Introduction 1. A Recall to Break All Records 2. A Brief Historical Digression 3. The Sequence of Events 4. What Is Menu Foods? 5. Menu’s Muddled Response: What, When, and Where 6. The Cat and Dog Body Count 7. A Toxic False Alarm: Aminopterin 8. At Last the Culprit: Melamine 9. Melamine: A Source of Dietary Nitrogen 10. Melamine: A Fraudulent Adulterant, But Puzzling 11. How Much Melamine Was in the Pet Food? 12. Mystery Solved: Cyanuric Acid 13. The China Connection 14. More Melamine: Rice and Corn “Proteins” 15. More Melamine Eaters: Farm Animals and People 16. The FDA’s Response 17. Repercussion #1: China’s Food Safety System 18. Repercussion #2: The China Backlash 19. Repercussion #3: The FDA in Crisis 20. Repercussion #4: Pet Food Politics Appendix: The Melamine Recalls List Notes List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments Index Marion Nestle, acclaimed author of Food Politics, now tells the gripping story of how, in early 2007, a few telephone calls about sick cats set off the largest recall of consumer products in U.S. history and an international crisis over the safety of imported goods ranging from food to toothpaste, tires, and toys. Nestle follows the trail of tainted pet food ingredients back to their source in China and along the supply chain to their introduction into feed for pigs, chickens, and fish in the United States, Canada, and other countries throughout the world. What begins as a problem "merely" for cats and dogs soon becomes an issue of tremendous concern to everyone. Nestle uncovers unexpected connections among the food supplies for pets, farm animals, and people and identifies glaring gaps in the global oversight of food safety.